Lever draft gear



Filed July 2, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

EDWIN o. wAsHBuEN, oi" ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

LEv'EE DRAFT GEAR.

Application filed July 2, 1921. serial No. 482,037.

This invention relates to a draft gear of the type used in railway cars, and is designed to yieldingly take up the shock caused by starting or stopping the car.

It is an object of this invention to construet a draft gear comprising yielding elements, the resilient action of which is controlled by lever devices so arranged that'the Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device the end thereof being shown in section};

2 is a view in side elevation of the device, some of which is shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectiontaken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section. taken on the line.tt of- Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. 1 are shown the draft members or sills I ofthe railway car which comprisefoppositely disposed channel members. The members 1 are provided with stop members 2: and 3 "of suitable form and secured thereto; respectively, at the rear and front portions thereof, and the stop devices'3 are p'rovidedwith' elongated slots. 3 which also extend through the webs of the channel members .1; A coupler head or yoke head 4 has its inner portion disposed between the members '3 and an elongated slot 4* also extends laterally' through this head.' A key member 5 substantially fitting the slot 4* extends therethrough and through the slots 3 being held in place by suitable pins or keys 5*.

The coupler butt l is provided at its top and bottom with pockets or recesses into which extend the ends of a draft yoke- 6 which ends are secured in said pockets by a-- filler of cast metal extending" thereaitoiind arid through holesin. said ends and the sides- "ft yoke 6 is of of said pockets. The geiiei ea lU shape and: 9'2 bases piste-s isle-id ends of at its rear end by flanges projecting at each side thereof. A rear follower plate 9 havin plane front and rear surfaces, is disposed between the sills 1' and the sides of the yoke 6 and is arranged to abut againstthe forward end of the stops 2. A similar follower plate 10 also extends between the sills l and the arms of yoke 6 and also has plane surfaces arranged to contact with the stops 3', the rear end of the coupler head abutting the plate-1 0 at the front side thereof.

A; casing 11 of square or rectangular shape has a. flaring portion adjacent its front end, the extreme front end being again formed of square or rectangular shape and said casing isdesigned tocontain nested coiled springs 12 and 13v which abut at their rear ends against the surface of the follower plate 9. A; spring buffer or follower plate l l has a plane surface abutting thefront ends of the springs 12 and 18 and has a central projection extending into the spring 13. The front surface of the plate 14 is provided with a central curved depression surrounded by a raised portion convex in cross section, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The casing'll is provided at each'side in its inclined flaring portion with slot-s or apertures 11 and levers 1 5 having a heights-ubstantial-ly equal to the height of thefront portion of the casing 11,. having pyramidal lugs 1-5. projecting into the apertures 11. The leverss1-5 are formed at their outer side portions with planet s'urfacesand on their inner faces are formed with concave surfaces merging at their extreme'inn'er edges into slight convex surface:- As seen in Fig. 1, the convex surfaces of the inner sides ofthe levers 15" conform generally to concave surfaces in the front end of the plate 14. The outer or front sides 'of the levers 1 5 contact with the rear. surface of the follower plate 10' and these front surfaces of the levers. 15 areformed of convex curvatureof rather large radius; The enter and inner surfaces of the levers 1 5 are joined at theirin-n'er ends by slightly convert surfaces. It will be noted that the outer ends of the levei's aresoinew'hat closely confined between the periphery er the plate at and the treat rest gala: per-nan. 6f; the c sing 11. said lever? us being held in} position, the i levees tens g sheuldefts asataag the ear-lag er; the casing; l1 adjacent the apertures 11*." 7

tion,

The operation of the draft gear is as follows; 7 1

Assuming the pulling stress being applied to the coupling head 4, the same will be transmitted through the yoke 6 to the follower plate 9, which will, in turn, transmit the stress through the springs 12 and 13 to. the plate 14 and thence through the levers- 15 to the follower plate 10, which will abut against the stops 3 and thus transmit the said pulling strain to the sills 1 of the car. The springs 12' and 13 will be compressed and the rear-end of the casing 11 will soon contact with the follower 9. It will be noted that with the parts in the position shown n Fig. 1, which may be called a normal poslthe stress is applied to the springs through the plate 14 andlevers 15 by the follower plate 10 atsubstan'tially the inner edge a of the levers 15, and at the same time, the stress is applied to the plate 14 by the levers at substantially the point markedb. The power arm of the levers is thus much longer than the weight arm fulcruming about their rear surfaces which and considerable leverage is exerted on the plate 14 and the springs. As the springs compress by the rearward motion of the plate 14, the levers will swing rearwardly are in contact with the casing ll and the point of contact thereof, with the follower v 7 plate 10 will move outwardly toward the fulcrum of said levers.

At the'same time, the point of contact ofthe inner surfaces of the levers with the spring follower plate 14 will move inwardly. The leverage exerted upon the springs will, therefore, change from its most advantageous position, as shown in Fig. 1', to its least advantageous position when the springs are entirely com pressed or the limit of movement of the draft gearis taken up. This movement will be determined by the ,key 5 engaging the ends of the slots 3 The yielding resistance therefore to the. shocks 1 is least at the beginning of the movement and gradually increases to the limit of themovem ent. The shocks will thus be gradually and easily ab-' sorbed'and the stress on the couplingdevices and sills gradually' relieved. The levers 15 have considerable freedom of movement but at all times will be held in the'casing 11 and between the follower plates 10 and 14. When the stress is relieved, thesprings will expand and the parts will again be moved to the position shownin Fig. 1.- WVhen the shock is trans- 7 mitted to the device in the opposite direction, as when a push is exerted on the coupler head 4, the parts} will function in the same manner except that the follower press the springs,

plate 9 will then contact with the stops '2 and the follower plate 10 will move away from stops 3 to swing the levers 15 and com- From the above description it is seen that applicant has produced a simple and yet a'very efficient form of draft gear, and one comprising few parts, all of which can be made strong and rugged. The parts require little finishing and can be very easily assembled.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may bemade in the form, details and proportions of the device without.

departing from the scope of applicantsinvention, which, generally stated, consists 1n the matter shown anddescribed and set 7 forth in the appended claims.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. A draft gear for railway cars having in combination a casing, resilient means therein, levers having one convex and one concave side loosely pivoted at one end to said casing and abutting the same, a follower plate disposed between said means and levers abutting said means and having convex surfaces respectively engaging and of slightly smaller radius than the concave sides of saidlevers, and a follower plate and a flat plane surface, engaging the convex side of said levers.

' 2. The structure set forth in claim 1, apertures in said casing, and lugs pro ecting from said levers into said apertures and in contact with said springs at its inner side and in contact with sald levers at its outer side and. a member also contacting said levers'at their outer sides, said members being arranged for movementto compress the spring devices, and the surfaces of said members andrsai-drlevers being so formed that the leverage exerted to compress the springs decreases pressed. 7 I V 4. A draft gear for railway cars having in combination, springs, anopen ended casing surrounding said springs and being formed adjacent one end with an outwardly flaring portion and'having its extreme end formed with its opposite sides parallel, said casing having apertures formed in said flarcurved levers having lugs projecting from "their end surfaces' and forming shoulders f therewith, said lugs being disposed in the apertures in said casing, and means for swinging said levers to'compress the springs,

as the springs are com-' ing portion at opposite points thereof and said levers and means being so arranged that the leverage tending to compress the springs decreases as the levers are swung.

5. A draft gear for railway cars having in combination, a resilient compressible device, rigid means disposed at the side thereof having an aperture therein, a follower plate engaging said device and movable to compress the same, a lever having a shoulder thereon and a tongue projecting from said shoulder and passing through said aperture, said lever engaging said follower plate, and a member movable relatively to said rigid means engaging the other side of said lever, said lever being curved and movable about said shoulder whereby its leverage decreases as said resilient device is compressed.

(l. A draft gear for railway cars comprising, a resilient device, a follower plate engaging the same and having an annular convex surface, a pair of oppositely disposed levers having a concave side engaging said surface and having their opposite sides convex, and a flat member engaging said latter sides to swing said levers and compress said resilient means whereby the leverage de creases as said resilient means is compressed.

7. A draft gear comprising, a resilient device, a member at the side of said device having a portion inclining outwardly therefrom and an adjacent portion extending parallel with the longitudinal axis of said device, said member having an aperture through said inclined portion, a lever having a shoulder abutting said inclined portion and a tongue projecting through said aperture, a

follower plate engaging said resilient device and movable to compress the same engaged by one side of said lever, and a member movable relatively to saidfirst mentioned member engaging the other side of said lever to swing the same to compress the resilient device. p

' 8. A draft gear for railway cars having in combination, a casing, a resilient means therein, a follower plate engaging said means with one side and having its other side curved, levers loosely pivoted in said casing and having inner surfaces curved substantially in conformity to the curved surface of said plate and having a point of contact therewith and a fiat follower pla'te engaging the outer sides of said levers to swing the same and compress said resilient means, said surfaces, said plate and lever being so formed that the point of contact moves away from the fulcrums of said levers as said resilient means are compressed.

9. A draft device having in combination, a follower plate having a plane surface, a pair of levers extending inwardly across said plate having convex surfaces contacting the surface thereof, a casing to which said levers are pivoted at their outer ends said levers having concave surfaces on their sides opposite said convex surfaces, a follower plate having convex surfaces substantially fitting I said concave surfaces and a'resilient means in said casing engaging said follower plate at the side opposite said levers.v

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EDWIN C. WASHBURN. 

